CFM denies guilt
There is a threat of scandal in aviation due to forged certificates
September 22, 2023, 9:59 a.m
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The aircraft engines from turbine manufacturer CFM International contain parts that are not approved. Airbus and Boeing are affected. The manufacturer blames a supplier and claims documents are fake.
Scandal in the aviation industry? The turbine manufacturer CFM International is said to have delivered engines with parts without approval from the aviation regulatory authorities, reports the industry service Air Data News. Passenger and cargo aircraft from Airbus and Boeing as well as possibly military aircraft are affected.
The Paris-based joint venture CFM International is owned by the US technology group General Electric and the French engine specialist Safran from France. The company announced the problems with an unknown number of CFM56 and CF6 engines on Wednesday. The affected engines are widely used in aviation; the CFM56 is installed in aircraft such as the Boeing 737 Classic and NG as well as in the first generation of Airbus’ A320 family. The military aircraft P-8A Poseidon and KC-46 Pegasus could still be equipped with affected CFM56 engines. There are said to be thousands of engines of this type still in existence worldwide. GE’s CF6 engine is part of the Boeing 767 freighter and the Airbus A330.
The safety certificates ensure that the parts are manufactured to specific, reliable standards. Without verification, there is a significant security risk.
Supplier should issue documents
The company blames British supplier AOG Technics. He is said to have used fake certificates for the parts he manufactured. AOG is to be ordered to release documents through an action in the High Court in London. Production of the parts in question is expected to go back to 2015. “Safety is our top priority and we are aggressively pursuing AOG Technics for selling unapproved engine parts with falsified airworthiness documentation. We continue to work with the aviation industry to keep unapproved parts out of the global supply chain,” said CFM in a press release.
CFM is said to have found 86 forged documents so far, and there are almost 100 suspicious engines. First of all, it is important to identify the affected aircraft, reports Air Data News. The US aviation regulator FAA has already issued a warning to owners of aircraft with the corresponding engines. They should check their aircraft as quickly as possible.
The first reports of suspicion were in June. This was reported by TAP Manutencao e Engenharia from Portugal. Bloomberg reported that airlines including United Airlines, Virgin Australia and Southwest Airlines have already identified planes with AOG parts. The European Aviation Safety Agency has also already warned.